apex. Skin covered with a very fine velvety down, of a pale red on the shaded side, of a deep red or purple on the side next the sun. Flesh pale red, except near the stone, where it is of a deep orange colour, from which it separates. Juice subacid, with a somewhat astringent, but pleasant flavour. Kernel sweet.

Ripe the middle and end of August.

This singular little Apricot is highly esteemed in France, from whence it was introduced by Sir Joseph Banks, and bore fruit for the first time in this country, in his garden at Spring Grove, in 1799. At a short distance it has more the appearance of an Orleans Plum than an Apricot.

10. RED MASCULINE. Hort. Soc. Cat. No. 9. Masculine. Langley, p. 88. t. 15. fig. 1. Miller, No. 1.

Abricot Précoce.

Duhamel, No. 1. t. 1. Abricot Hâtif Musqué. Ib.

Fruit small, of a roundish figure, about four inches and a half in circumference each way. Suture rather rather deep, and considerably swelled on one of its sides. Skin pale orange next the wall; when fully exposed, of a red colour next the sun, marked with dark red or purplish spots. Flesh pale or orange, full of a sweet musky juice. Stone obtuse, thick, smooth, and separates clean from the flesh. Kernel bitter.

Ripe the middle and end of July.

The Masculine Apricot ripened at Twickenham in 1727, on a south wall, May 21st.-Langley.

This is the earliest Apricot cultivated in England. The tree is tender, and requires to be planted on a south, or south-east aspect, in a warm and sheltered situation, without which the crops are seldom abundant.

11. ROMAN. Langley, Pom. p. 89. t. 15. f. 9. Pom. Mag. t. 13.

Abricot Commun. Duhamel, 1. p. 135. t. 2.

Fruit middle-sized, in form slightly compressed, inclining to oval. Skin dull straw colour, with a little dotting of orange or red on the sunny side, but in such small quantity, that the skin has always a pallid appearance. Suture shallow. Flesh dull pale straw colour, soft, dry, rather meally, with a little sweetness and acidity. Stone flat, oblong, rather obtuse at each end, with a very even surface, separating from the flesh. Kernel very bitter.

Ripe the middle of August.

The Roman Apricot is the most common in our gardens; its principal recommendations are its hardiness and plentiful bearing. It is best before fully ripe. 12. ROYAL. Pom. Mag. t. 2.

Abricot Royale. Bon. Jard. 1827. p. 288.

Fruit next in size to the Moorpark, rather oval, slightly compressed. Skin dull yellow, slightly coloured with red on a small space. Suture shallow. Flesh pale orange, very firm, sweet, juicy, and high-flavoured, with a slight degree of acidity. Stone large, oval, not adhering to the flesh, blunt at each end, with scarcely any passage in the edge. Kernel slightly bitter; much less so than in the Moorpark.

Ripe the beginning of August, a week or ten days before the Moorpark. Raised a few years ago in the royal garden of the Luxembourg, and first noticed in the Bon Jardinier of 1826, where it is considered as a better fruit than that of the Moorpark.

13. TURKEY. Miller, No. 5. Pom. Mag. t. 25. Large Turkey. Hort. Soc. Cat. No. 26.

Fruit about the middle size, in form nearly spherical, not compressed like the Moorpark. Skin very handsome deep yellow, with a number of rich, brownish, orangered spots and blotches next the sun. Flesh pale yellow, firm, juicy, sweet, with a little acid, very rich and ex

cellent.

Stone separating freely, in figure like that of the Moorpark, but without the pervious passage. Kernel quite sweet, like that of an almond.

Ripe about the middle or latter end of August.

The Turkey and Roman Apricots are continually confounded with each other, and yet their characters are obviously and clearly distinct. The Turkey is spherical, more deeply coloured, with a sweet kernel; the Roman is somewhat oval, slightly compressed, dull straw-coloured, and has a very bitter kernel, it also ripens a few days

sooner.

The Abricot de Nancy of Duhamel (fructu maximo compresso, as he defines it) has been quoted in the Pom. Mag. as a synonym of the Turkey; but the well-known globular, uncompressed character of the latter, leads me to consider it as an accidental mistake.

14. WHITE MASCULINE. Forsyth, Ed. 7. No. 5. Abricot Blanc. Duhamel, No. 2.

Fruit similar to that of the Red Masculine in size and figure. Skin nearly white; a pale straw colour on the side next the wall, but of a pale yellow, shaded and mottled with a reddish brown, on the side next the sun. Flesh white, very delicate, and adheres slightly to the stone. Juice sweet, with an agreeable peach-like flavour. Kernel bitter.

Ripe the end of July.

This succeeds the Red Masculine in its time of ripening, and in France it is considered the better fruit of the two; but like that, it is tender, and requires to be planted against a south, or south-east wall, and to have a warm sheltered situation, to insure productive crops.

A Selection of Apricots for a small Garden in the Southern and Midland Counties of England.

Northern Counties of England, and Southern of Scotland.

Brussels

Highlands of Scotland.

• 3 Breda

2

Apricots will not succeed in the Highlands of Scotland, except in the most favourable situations, and when planted against a south wall.

Propagation.

The Apricot is budded principally upon two sorts of stocks; the Muscle, and the Common Plum. The Breda, Orange, Peach Apricot, Purple, and Royal, are those generally budded upon the Muscle; and although the Moorpark is for the most part budded upon the Common Plum, on which it takes freely, yet I am persuaded that if it were budded upon the Muscle, the trees would be better, last longer in a state of health and vigour, and produce their fruit superior both in size and quality. The other sorts are of course budded upon the common stock, a sort well known, and propagated by all the stock growers in the county of Surrey.

Apricots are, however, by many nurserymen, budded upon the Brussels, and another by the name of the Brompton stock. When standard trees are wanted for a temporary covering for the upper part of high walls,

till intermediate dwarfs are large enough to occupy their place, the practice of budding standard high upon the Brussels stock may be allowed; but to bud Apricots, or any other fruit, upon the Brompton stock, is a practice which ought to be discontinued, even for a temporary purpose. Where trees of a more permanent character are required, the substitution of such a stock cannot be too strongly condemned. Indeed, I hope the day is not far distant when so worthless a stock will be banished from every nursery in the kingdom. I speak thus forcibly, having been compelled to burn many hundreds of beautiful-looking trees, of Peaches, Nectarines, and Apricots, of two and three years training, which had become wholly worthless, in consequence of their having been budded upon the Brompton stock.

Pruning and Training.

In proceeding to the pruning and training of Apricots, I must refer to what is said in the propagation of Peaches and Nectarines, so far as regards the choice of trees, and their heading down, it being equally applicable to the Apricot.

If a maiden plant breaks well, it will furnish two or three shoots on each side, which number in all cases must be equal, in order to form a handsome tree: the lowest shoot on each side must be trained horizontally, and the others in an oblique or rising direction.

In the following winter, if the branches on each side be two or three, they must be shortened to six inches each these will furnish three each for the following summer. In May or June, as soon as the shoots are of a sufficient length, those which are the best placed must be trained at five or six inches distance from each other, removing at the same time such others as are not wanted.